Compile: Mintina
Photographer Nicola Bailey travels to Hell and returns to this world to show people the amazing sights of the Danakil Depression, a hot netherworld hell in northern Ethiopia.
The hottest spot on Earth. This was one of my first acquaintances with the Danakil Depression, a vast, grotesque place on the border between northern Ethiopia and the State of Eritrea.
With a better fit for the igloo than for the scorching sun, I should have stopped thinking about going there. In short, challenging travel has always fascinated me, and as I read more, the more I became obsessed with this isolated, hard-to-reach area. Located at the junction of three crust plates, this depression is more than 100 meters below sea level and is one of the lowest on Earth.
Due to the region's unique geographical conditions, it is not surprising that it is used as a research site to learn about other planets or the existence of life.
During the trip of about four days, I rode through the depressions by car and saw people sitting on the back of camels through this arid landscape, dry desert hills, active volcanoes, salt fields and wide sulphur lakes.
Photo courtesy of Nicola Bailey
When I got to the edge of the depression, I found that independent travel was not an option, and that only a 4WD vehicle filled with travelers, accompanied by a weapon-carrying guide, could set off. Apparently, this was quite common a few years ago, when a team of travelers and scientists was kidnapped and several people were killed. Vehicles are loaded with gallons of drinking water in case we faint in the dry heat.
Photo courtesy of Nicola Bailey
On the first day, we drive through an amazingly changing geomorphological area formed by solidified magma, rocks, and sand dunes, and finally, we reach the village of Dodom at the foot of the continuously active Ertra Ale volcano. The next three hours of hiking led us to where we stayed that night, near bubbling lava.
After dinner, we walked in the dark to the edge of the Ertra Ale volcano (not safe, people!). This is one of the longest surviving lava lakes in the world. The heat is unbearable. My friend made the mistake of putting his backpack between a crack in the rock, and all the contents melted.
For hours, admiring the abundance of brightly colored and flowing magma, we returned to safety and rested under the stars for hours until dawn came.
Photo courtesy of Nicola Bailey
After falling asleep for hours, we got up in time to explore here as the sun hit the crater. The main sinking crater is 200 meters deep and 350 meters wide, similar to a circular motion, divided into three layers.
Photo courtesy of Nicola Bailey
Although it is a desolate place, it is inhabited by the Afar ethnic group, an ethnic minority in Ethiopia, who are very adapted to their surroundings and, historically, they raised goats, sheep and cattle in the desert. During the trip, we stopped the car several times to talk to some locals. The children were especially curious about us.
Photo courtesy of Nicola Bailey
Moving on, we left the volcanic rocks and headed to other locations, equally dry but slightly vegetation growing areas. Looking out of the window of our vehicle, I usually have this feeling, I am silently admiring a watercolor painting, a picture of color spilled at will.
Photo courtesy of Nicola Bailey
For the Adat people, camels are vital, and we see these animals frequently throughout our journey, occasionally following the donkeys. Given our record of travel and extreme weather, there is no better adaptation to its surroundings than such an animal.
Photo courtesy of Nicola Bailey
Moving on, we came to the salt fields formed when the Awash River dried up. The area stretches for miles and produces 1.3 million tonnes of salt per year, close to 100 percent of the country's salt production. In some areas, the salt was once nearly 1000 meters thick.
As our vehicles waited in the salt fields, we walked towards the beautiful turquoise blue pond and enjoyed the sun shining on the white landscape.
Photo courtesy of Nicola Bailey
For the Agar and Tigrayan people, salt is like gold, and ten months of the year they come to the salt mines to collect salt. It wasn't an easy job, with scorching days and daily temperatures of about 50°C degrees Celsius, and they needed to work for a long time, cutting salt chunks with an axe. For every 4 kilograms of salt blocks, they can earn about 5 cents, and each camel is able to carry 30 salt bricks.
Photo courtesy of Nicola Bailey
Once they tied these to the camels, they followed for a week to reach the villages and towns where they could connect trucks. To get there, they had to travel 25 kilometers a day, crossing a vast area with only bread and drinking water, without drinking water for camels, and at risk of banditry along the way.
Photo courtesy of Nicola Bailey
Eventually, we end up at The Dallol Sulphur Springs, which is where I'm most looking forward to it, a landscape with dreamlike shapes and colors that formed due to volcanic movement beneath the surface. Scientists believe that extremely acidophilic microorganisms live here, which allows them to learn important information about life on other planets.
Photo courtesy of Nicola Bailey
On our final day, we return to the Mekele region – the start and end of the journey – where we take a break in another valley like the moon and hike for hours through rocky and cave areas.
Photo courtesy of Nicola Bailey
Having enjoyed all these otherworldly sights over the past few days, I'm ready to close my eyes and relax. When I opened my eyes again, I saw a hiker we had picked up along the way picked up right outside our car. I'm not surprised to think about the hardships of life in the region and the distances traveled – I know (if faced with the same situation) that I will do the same.
Source: Nicola Bailey